Possum Attacked my D'Uccle (wound pictures)

mhegge

Songster
Sep 2, 2015
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37
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This little lady is about 4 months old and was attacked by a possum last night. I happened upon it when locking up and stopped it without knowing it was happening. She has a puncture wound on the back of her neck and a open hole under her right wing. The neck wound had fresh blood last night, but was not actively bleeding. The hole under the wing was to the muscle (it appeared) but not bleeding. She had blood in her feather by her eyes and the one that is swollen shut had some dirt and rock in it (1st pic). The other had dried blood feathers in it (2nd pic). I used hot compress and a syringe with water to loosen and clean that and put antiseptic on the other wounds. Her beak is also slightly misaligned now (hard to tell in the photos but 3rd pic). She survived all night, still no active bleeding, and I am using a syringe to make sure she is getting water. I am thinking I need antibiotics to help in case of infection and not sure what I should do for food. Of course, there could also be other injuries internal or such I cannot see, but I have hope that she will make it barring infection setting in. Advise me please as to what I should do. And I do also have her in the house so she is nice and warm and I can keep a very close eye on her. I know in the 2nd pic, her "good" eye, it looks shut as well, but she does open that one and the feathers are still dry and crunchy there so they keep creeping up and I keep wiping them down.
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Almost looks like her jaw is broken....

Try some Vetricyn or triple antibiotic oitment like Neosporin.
Make sure to thoroughly wash her wounds.
 
Is the triple antibiotic safe for the eye area? The antiseptic was the one recommended by a vet when my roo had a bumble foot. The closest avian vet is about 45 minutes away and not open on the weekends. Is there something I can do food or drink wise to help bolster her? Is there a way to make homemade electrolytes? Should I try to crumble the food pellets, or soak them? I was wondering about her jaw being broken. She moves it very well and does not flinch when I touch it. But I know that isn't really reliable as saying it isn't broken. Last night after it happened, she even was drinking on her own. Today I just put some water in a medicine dropper and would dangle a drop of water and she would take it.
 
Is the triple antibiotic safe for the eye area? The antiseptic was the one recommended by a vet when my roo had a bumble foot. The closest avian vet is about 45 minutes away and not open on the weekends. Is there something I can do food or drink wise to help bolster her? Is there a way to make homemade electrolytes? Should I try to crumble the food pellets, or soak them? I was wondering about her jaw being broken. She moves it very well and does not flinch when I touch it. But I know that isn't really reliable as saying it isn't broken. Last night after it happened, she even was drinking on her own. Today I just put some water in a medicine dropper and would dangle a drop of water and she would take it.
In a pinch you can give pedialyte or add some honey to the water. Try soft egg yolk or scrambled eggs for food. Vetericyn for wound care or if that’s not available, gently irrigate the wounds a couple of times a day and apply antibiotic ointment (without pain reliever). Keep her warm and quiet, maybe in a pet carrier. If you can get some antibiotic eye ointment at Tractor Supply or other store as well as antibiotic, consider using it. Call vet if you can. Good luck!!!!
 
In a pinch you can give pedialyte or add some honey to the water. Try soft egg yolk or scrambled eggs for food. Vetericyn for wound care or if that’s not available, gently irrigate the wounds a couple of times a day and apply antibiotic ointment (without pain reliever). Keep her warm and quiet, maybe in a pet carrier. If you can get some antibiotic eye ointment at Tractor Supply or other store as well as antibiotic, consider using it. Call vet if you can. Good luck!!!!

I have Nolvasan that I used before, not eye area though, and I have some triple without pain relief so I will do that after washing tonight. I will add some honey too and scramble some egg yolk/egg. I might not be able to get in touch with the avian vet until Monday, so hopefully that will hold her over the weekend. Thank you!
 
Aw, poor baby. Good on you for bringing her in to keep her warm. That would be the top priority. Can you flush the wounds with sterile saline? I would do that and then apply antibiotic ointment. She is probably in a lot of pain with the beak injury along with all the others. You can usecaspirin or ibuprofen for pain, but I don’t have the dosing family. If she is taking fluids, I would add poultry vitamins and electrolytes, and eventually work up to a slurry of feed (pulse dry feed in food processor to create a powder and then mix with water into a soup).
Does she seem to be breathing ok? Pooping ok?
 
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Aw, poor baby. Good on you for bringing her in to keep her warm. That would be the top priority. Can you flush the wounds with sterile saline? I would do that and then apply antibiotic ointment. She is probably in a lot of pain with the beak injury along with all the others. You can usecaspirin or ibuprofen for pain, but I don’t have the dosing family. If she is taking fluids, I would add poultry vitamins and electromytes, and eventually work up to a slurry of feed (pulse dry feed in food processor to create a powder and then mix with water into a soup).
Does she seem to be breathing ok? Pooping ok?

I will do that for the food. I just did some raw egg and water/honey and she kept moving her head up like a baby bird with her mouth open to eat. I didn't want to overdo it of course so I did a little egg and then a little water etc. I washed her wounds and dabbed some Nolvasan on the wing and neck and did a little wipe around the eye are with triple antibiotic cream. I can't see any actual wounds around the eyes so I am thinking they maybe got hurt with the fight and dirt etc getting in. I am not sure if she will keep sight in her one eye that is so swollen. The wounds are scabbing over well without swelling or odor so do I keep washing/flushing or just keep gently wiping some triple antibiotic on them? She is pooping normally and was breathing normally and acting normal (hiding her beak in her neck to sleep like they do in the coop etc), but now after washing and feeding tonight, she continues to make that hungry motion even though I put her in to bed a bit ago. I'm worried.
 

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